Description
10 documents, including (a) 625mm. by 320mm., grant in Latin by King Alfonso V 'the Magnimous' of Aragon and Sicily, and Count of Barcelona, to his officer, Rambau de Corbera, of a vast estate in Sardinia, dated 4 February 1421, 28 lines, written in light brown ink in the hand of the royal scribe "Petrus de reus" who names himself at the foot of the document, and with the apparent signature of the king himself, seal missing, else in outstanding condition; (b) 272mm. by 102mm., letter in French from King Charles II of Navarre to the Vicomte d'Avranches, instructing him to reward the bearer (Jehan le Roussel dit Friquet), countersigned by one Froissart, dated 28 April 1370, 7 lines in dark brown ink, seal and tag missing, slightly trimmed on right-hand edge, in fine red morocco gilt-tooled binding; (c) 248mm. by 160mm., grant in Scots by Lord John Oliphant of obligations for one David Anderson, dated 12 April 1516, with signature of "Jhon Lord Olyphant", 25 lines, written in light brown ink in a secretarial hand, seal missing, some stains and folds, else good condition; (d) 232mm. by 148mm., letter in German from the "Burgermestere ind rait der stad de Sost" or mayor and council of the town of Soest, near Dortmund, dated 23 February 1438, 17 lines, written in light brown ink in a clear German secretarial hand, tag with remnants of seal now detached, some wear and folds, else in good condition; (e) 385mm. by 224mm., letter in Flemish of Jan van Raust, seigneur of Cantecroy and Mortsel, near Antwerp, dated 1 September 1438, 24 lines in light brown ink in a secretarial hand, 4 tags present, 2 seals missing, 2 present (that of arms of Jan van Raust in excellent condition), overall outstanding condition; with 3 other documents in French (one with numerous seals), regarding a grant of salt from the Keeper of the royal salt to the prioress and ladies of the abbey of Montivilliers (dated 1397), properties at Daische, near Namur and Dinant, Belgium, properties at Angers, Maine-et-Loire and Astaffort, south-western France; and 2 other documents in Flemish regarding estates at Schooten in the vicinity of Antwerp
Catalogue Note
This small collection is of interest for a number of reasons. It encompasses five separate European medieval languages, and includes documents issued by 2 kings, a keeper of the royal salt, a seigneur, a Scots Lord, a number of knights, a town mayor and an urban council. All are in good condition, and some have a great deal of historical interest: the grant by Alfonso V is of land in an area he struggled to extend his grasp over, and perhaps testifies to an important part in that political process; the Jehan le Roussel dit Friquet in the grant of Charles II, may be identifiable as the "Jean de Fricamps" who appears several times in the chronicles of Jean Froissart, and served as Charles II's emissary to England in 1359; and the grant of salt to the prioress and ladies of the abbey of Montivilliers offers us a fascinating glimpse of the needs of that community and their interaction with their noble patrons in the late fourteenth century.
